Staff Reporter
Peshawar
The anti-locusts operations have sucessfully continued in Khyber Pakthunkhwa where over 59,181.2 hactare infested area in its 15 districts were cleared from the flying insects. According to PDMA KP report, locusts’ attacks had been restricted to five districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa and 59,181.2 hectares infested area in 15 districts were cleared since June 21 owing to the government’s successful clearance operations against the swarms.
The locusts swarms entered Pakistan from Afghanistan through Waziristan-D I Khan corridor in start of this year and engulfed 15 KP districts including Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Karak, Kohat, Kurrum, Hangu, Nowshera, Orakzai, Peshawar, Khyber and Bajaur. It forced the government to launch targeted operations against locust swarms to contain its movement following reports of substantial losses to agriculture crops including wheat, cotton, fruits, vegetables and young plantations in these districts.
Presently, operations were being conducted in five infested districts of Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, Karak and Kohat. The districts so far cleared from locusts’ swarms include South Waziristan where 3,017 hectares area were operated out of surveyed area on 353,185 hectares, 5,045 hectares sprayed in North Waziristan where 461,900 hectares surveyed, 73 hectares operated out of 254,830 hectares surveyed in Bannu and 308,000 hectares surveyed out of which 1,500 hectares area were sprayed in Kurram.
Hangu, Nowshera and Orakzai districts were declared locusts free where 15 hectares area was sprayed out of total surveyed area of 125,931hactares, 524 hectares operated out of 438,735 hectares surveyed and 3483 hectares sprayed out of 354,920 hectares surveyed respectively. Locusts were also eradicated in Peshawar, Khyber and Bajaur districts where 12.2 hectares area operated after 316,625hactares surveyed area, 3,050 hectares sprayed after survey on 424,452 hectares and 60 hectares operated following 204,800 hectares area surveyed respectively.
The PDMA report revealed that 4,898,670 hectares area had been surveyed with assistance of 37 teams out of which 59,181.2 hectares area was successfully operated with the help of 43 teams in these 15 affected districts. Targeted operations were conducted on the basis of detailed surveys started since March 9 last in these five infested districts where 42, 293 hectares area had been cleared till June 21, the report said. A total of 284,600 hectares area was surveyed in Dera Ismail Khan out of which 14,199 hectares has been successfully operated. However, locusts swarms in a static position were still present on 295 hectares in D I Khan where operation is continuing.
The pests movement was restricted to 25 hectares in Tank district after 9,007 hectares area was operated out of 206,680 hectares surveyed area where swarms were seen in a static as well as moving positions. In Lakki Marwat, infestation was contained to 144 hectares following 12,515 hectares were sprayed out of 516,000 hectares surveyed area.Likewise, flying insects’ movements were contained to 68 hectares in Karak after 3,077 hectares operated out of 272,880 hectares surveyed. In Kohat, locusts were moving from one place to another after spray on 3,495 hectares following completion of survey on 371,132 hectares.
Anti-locusts operations on 502 hectares continued in these five districts where conventional and non-conventional methods were being used to flush out the insects. According to National Locust Control Centre report, anti-locust operations were carried out in 324,609.69 square kilometers approximately 2.69 million acres in 42 affected districts of Pakistan where more than 972 joint teams took part in the clearance operations till June 18. Murad Ali, Director Agriculture Department said these controlled operations were highly successful in KP where conventional and non-conventional methods were used for control of infestations.
Locusts’ attacks were witnessed in 1999 and 2003, but the 2020 attack was the intense one in KP as it caused substantial losses to agricultural crops including wheat, cotton, fruits, vegetables and young plantations in southern districts of the province.
